By Anne Craig, Communications Officer

Queen’s University students are becoming an important part of the environmental side of the mining industry thanks to new funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council. The Mine of Knowledge program is designed to train students in technological innovation and sustainable environmental practices in the mining industry and gives them opportunities for scholarships and industrial internships.

Primary investigator Heather Jamieson (Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering) has one MSc student already enrolled in the research program, interning with Barrick Gold on a project in South America. Queen’s has also partnered with WESA-BluMetric, a company focusing on environmental management, industrial hygiene, environmental engineering and renewable energy.

“This program provides real world exposure to the industry,” says Dr. Jamieson. “There is a lot of public pressure on mines to minimize environmental impact while the mine is operating and to predict how the land will be rehabilitated after the mine is closed. Students graduating with the expertise they gain from this research program will be highly valued by employers.

The Kingston branch of WESA-BluMetric will provide students in the Mine of Knowledge program hands on learning opportunities.

“We are located in Kingston and like to get involved with the university,” says Wayne Ingham, Vice-President, Corporate Development. “We see this as a growth industry and we like working with students because they have more flexibility and are able to do more detailed studies over time. It’s also an opportunity to introduce students to the real world.”

Queen’s is just one of six universities participating in the program including University of Montreal, INRS University, Laurentian University, University of Ottawa and McMaster University.

The $1.65 million in funding for Mine of Knowledge is provided through NSERC’s Collaborative Research and Training Experience Program (CREATE). The program supports the training of teams of qualified undergraduates, graduates and postdoctoral fellows from Canada and abroad.